The messaging services available in your NHS App depend on your GP surgery or healthcare providers.
You may be able to:
- view messages from your NHS healthcare services
- send messages to your GP surgery
- request advice and view responses from your GP surgery
- view and send messages between you and your healthcare provider (for example, from specialist doctors at a hospital)
You can also turn on notifications for the NHS App to find out about new messages. You cannot get notifications when accessing your NHS account through a web browser.
Access messaging
How to find messaging:
- Log in to the NHS App or through the NHS website.
- Go to Messages.
You can also get to your messages from the homepage by selecting View your messages.
View messages from your NHS healthcare services
This is where you access the NHS App Messaging Service.
This service is a reliable and secure way to get information that you might usually get through text messages or letters.
Messages are:
- sent directly to you using your NHS number (instead of phone number or address), which means it is a more reliable way to reach you if your contact information is out of date at your GP surgery
- always from verified senders, such as your GP surgery and healthcare providers
- kept secure by the same technology that keeps your other information safe in the app
You may get messages through other ways, such as text messages, as well as through your NHS App.
For information about privacy, see the NHS App privacy policy for messaging services.
Send messages to your GP surgery
If your GP surgery offers this service, you'll be able to contact them online and you may get a response. This will usually be a text message, phone call or message in your NHS App.
If you receive a message back, you will not be able to reply. If your request is unresolved, contact the sender directly.
For information about privacy, see the NHS App privacy policy for messaging services.
Important:
Messaging is for non-urgent advice
If you need advice now, call your GP surgery, go to 111.nhs.uk or call 111.
Request advice and view responses from your GP surgery
If your GP surgery offers this service, you'll be able to answer questions online (sometimes called an online consultation) and get a response from your GP surgery. This will usually be a text message, phone call or message in your NHS App.
For information about privacy, see the NHS App privacy policy for messaging services.
Important:
Messaging is for non-urgent advice
If you need advice now, call your GP surgery, go to 111.nhs.uk or call 111.
Receive messages and updates from your specialist doctors
You may be able to send and receive messages between you and health professionals. For example, specialist doctors at a hospital. Messages are sent or received through either:
Although you access these messages in the NHS App, they are hosted by a supplier contracted by your healthcare provider. You'll often be taken to the supplier's system to log in and view any messages sent through this service.
For information about privacy, see the NHS App privacy policy for messaging services.
Messaging providers in the NHS App
GP surgery messaging providers
Your GP surgery contracts with a GP system supplier to deliver online services like messaging. They are a commercial organisation that provides a service on behalf of your surgery.
Contact the service desk if you have any technical problems accessing messages in the NHS App.
If you have any questions about the information provided in a message, contact the organisation who sent it to you.
For information about privacy, see the NHS App privacy policy for messaging services.
Health professional messaging providers
Your GP surgery or hospital contracts with one or more providers to deliver personal health record and online consultation services. The providers are commercial organisations and provide a service on behalf of your surgery or hospital.
Find out more about personal health record services and online consultation services in the NHS App.
Page last reviewed: 16 April 2024
Next review due: 16 October 2025